Fresh Air In Bridgeport

January 29, 1992

Beset by a bad economy and fiscal mismanagement, Bridgeport has taken awful blows in recent years. But things are changing, almost surely for the better. One key reason is the new mayor, Joseph P. Ganim.

Mayor Mary Moran declared Bridgeport bankrupt last year. She led the city on a suicidal revolt against the discipline imposed by the state's fiscal watchdog, the Bridgeport Financial Review Board.

Meanwhile, the mayor was too preoccupied with her own fiscal and political problems to see that the University of Bridgeport, the major quasi-public institution in the city, was also headed toward collapse.

When the university went broke, trustees faced an internal revolt. The trustees wanted to affiliate with Sacred Heart University in Fairfield. Faculty and students at the law school wanted to merge with Quinnipiac College in Hamden. Now the merger with Sacred Heart seems well on its way, thanks in part to Mr. Ganim, who worked hard to hold the deal together. Higher education in the Bridgeport area may at least achieve stability.

The problems of city government will take more time to fix. But Mr. Ganim has made a start.

Unwilling to accept the dictates of a board she saw as dominated by outsiders, Ms. Moran declared the city broke. That was contrary to financial and legal advice. The city was not broke, experts said, and to say so would only make matters worse. Bond ratings would fall. So would public confidence in the ability of the city to recover. Eventually, a federal bankruptcy court dismissed the city's petition.

On Jan. 16, the city dropped its appeal of the bankruptcy court ruling. Mr. Ganim says he is sending a signal that Bridgeport will face its problems head-on.

The mayor has his work cut out for him. Services -- from libraries to law enforcement -- have been cut substantially because of the fiscal crisis. Mr. Ganim faces a $20 million-plus budget shortfall. He has a plan to make it up, without raising taxes or cutting services. He intends to institute "nickel and dime" economies, union concessions, sale of tax liens held by the city, and, if necessary, furloughs.

Mr. Ganim supports plans to develop Bridgeport's deep water

port as the centerpiece of economic development. He has figured out a way to expand police protection without raising taxes, and he is working with civic leaders to restore confidence, keep old businesses and lure new ones.

In the long term, distressed cities like Bridgeport may need direct grants from the federal government to provide basic services. The urban welfare burden should be regionalized or taken over by the state. And suburbs will have to share the wealth in other ways. Mr. Ganim also talks about county government. That is a long-term plan, but he is already building regional alliances.

Other Connecticut cities could use a dose of Mr. Ganim's brand of leadership